Spotlights

Bianca Bravo '24

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Mentor E. Carlos Dominguez '05, J.D., superior court judge at Los Angeles Superior Court, shared, “I am nominating Bianca M. Bravo ’24 for the Distinguished Mentee Award.  Ms. Bravo has shown me the utmost professionalism, maturity and drive to help her UCLA community.  I first met Ms. Bravo when she contacted me through the UCLA ONE portal for mentorship.  After speaking with her on the phone, Ms. Bravo took the initiative to schedule an in-person visit to my courtroom to discuss her career plans and learn more about the court.  She is intellectually curious, professional and eager to learn.  However, Ms. Bravo also cares about her peers and their access to resources.  After observing in-court proceedings, Ms. Bravo followed up to schedule a tour for the UCLA Pre-Law Transfer Society, where she is co-president.  She carefully planned the tour, prepared a flyer and scheduled transportation for all the students.  We met in chambers over lunch, where we discussed the courts and the legal profession.  All the students, including Ms. Bravo, asked insightful questions about my own path to the bench.

“The best part of my job as a judge is to inspire others to join the legal profession.  Because of individuals like Ms. Bravo, I am better able to reach my community and inspire others.  I am inspired by Ms. Bravo and know she has a bright future in the legal profession, where she will continue to contribute to her community.  For all these reasons, I cannot think of a more deserving student for the Distinguished Student Mentee Award.”

Marcos Murillo Torres, Exp. '25

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Mentor Alonzo Campos '09, ethnic studies professor at Butte College, shared, “Marcos reached out to me the minute we went live. As a transfer student, he made it a point to ask me questions about my time at UCLA as a transfer student. Throughout the semester/quarters, Marcos would keep me posted on the things he was doing. We talked a few times about making sure to participate with student engagement via clubs and organizations, and the importance of reaching out to faculty, and I even shared with him summer internship opportunities that may interest him. I provided some clarity for Marcos to think about how to navigate his time at UCLA. Marcos hopes to attend graduate school after UCLA and consider museum studies program. He currently works at the Fowler Museum and, hopefully, he is able to be exposed to opportunities during his time there. I'm excited for what is to come of Marcos, having taken advantage of this UCLA ONE opportunity. He is an example of drive and motivation, looking for opportunities to understand his journey from others in higher education and beyond!”

Sadaf Malik, Exp. EMBA '25

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Mentor Tristan Schulhof '09, director of business operations at Illumina, shared, “Sadaf has been really engaged as a mentee, setting up monthly meetings with me and having specific questions prepared ahead of our meetings. This has helped me to prepare content and material that might be helpful to her. Additionally, Sadaf asked for support for a pitch competition being held at UCLA Anderson, and I was able to provide specific feedback and also reach out to my network to see how they can help. She has maximized the mentorship program and through this engagement, I've learned how I might be able to support her career on an ongoing basis.”

Trinity Gabato, M.A. '24

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Mentor Alonzo Campos '09, ethnic studies professor at Butte College, shared, “Trinity Gabato has gone above and beyond keeping in touch with me throughout this past spring semester (two quarters), navigating the job market in higher education. She has navigated the interview process in higher education and has landed a job teaching at a community college. Trinity has been phenomenal taking advantage of the knowledge sharing we have both engaged with. I am excited for her to use what she has learned from UCLA and engage and teach college students! She deserves to be recognized! It has been a pleasure being able to check in with Trinity, demystifying the job market process and how to strategically navigate it.”

Drishti Narang '24

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Mentor Chris Hortinela '09, associate director of ESG and Sustainability Partnerships at Vitamin Angels, shared, “Drishti is an absolute powerhouse and at times I feel like she is the one mentoring me in the areas of thinking outside the box, networking, getting job interviews and in creating a plan to make sure you achieve your goals.

“She shows up with her full self for every meeting, always with kindness, and always with actionable questions.  She has a clear idea of the issue she is trying to solve, receives feedback extremely well and incorporates the things we’ve discussed as she moves forward. It has been amazing watching her grow over the past year and every check-in, both planned and impromptu, I’m always impressed with her progress and how she invests in herself.

“As a student who entered the work force prior to beginning her undergraduate studies and now nearing graduation, I’ve always appreciated her focused perspective and her dedication to making sure that what she’s doing in academia and how she’s conducting her job search will result in a career that is rewarding, fulfilling and, most importantly, aligns with her strong sense of values and ethics.

“Drishti has been amazing to work with and the most rewarding mentorship experience I’ve had to date. I know with her curious nature, hard work and kindness she will go far! “For these reasons I nominate Drishti Narang for the 2023-24 Outstanding Mentee Award.”

Diego Perez, Exp. '26

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Mentor Samuel Hanig '02, senior actuary at Mapfre, shared, “Diego has been very proactive in extracting as much as he can from mentorship. Whether it's feedback on which classes to take, how to structure his summer, resources for finding summer employment or scholarship resources, I have been very impressed with Diego's ability to learn from his predecessors. From my perspective, his proactive approach to mentorship is also yielding accomplishments. Diego has earned mostly As in his classes and landed a prestigious summer internship. I'm lucky I can be a part of his experience, and I'm very proud of this young Bruin.”

Aleksandra Bijeljac, L.L.M. '24

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Mentor Barbara Lither '72, J.D., former senior attorney, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, shared, “Alexandra was a delightful and brilliant L.L.M. law student. Her interests in climate change and carbon emissions trading programs which could be used in her home country of Serbia was fortunately an area in which I could provide some guidance. In a great twist of fate, a previous intern of mine who was also brilliant became the technical advisor for the UN Climate Change program in Eastern Europe and I was able to connect two brilliant women who are passionate about climate change. Alexandra was dedicated, organized and sought guidance on a paper for a regional climate emissions trading program which she will propose for publication in the future.  I feel very fortunate to have met this gifted student and discuss issues of mutual concern. In addition, she took the time to visit me in Seattle and we had an amazing visit and will stay in touch.”

Amira Mahomed, Exp. D.D.S. '27

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Mentor Andrew Hopkins, M.S. '23, UCLA orthodontic resident, shared, “I believe Amira deserves the award as she is an extreme bright, diligent, hardworking and ambitious student. Amira has demonstrated such incredible drive not only in her studies, but through her involvement and dedication to extracurricular activities and involvement in dental research. Amira has shown her dedication to the dental field with her recent acceptance into the dental student research fellowship program to work on a public health project, as well as her acceptance into a public health selective where she will be doing a field project. She has shown great interest in the mentorship program as she often reaches out with any questions regarding her trajectory in the dental field. She is attentive with any advice given and I believe she digests this information and introduces it into her practices as she feels fit. With her extremely hard work ethic and determination, I believe the sky is the limit for Amira and I am extremely excited to see all that she will accomplish in the future.”